New 3rd-Gen iPad Drops In 12 New Countries This Friday

While many of us have owned (or at least, had the option to purchase) our new iPads for a month now, a handful of countries have yet to see an official release of the Apple’s Retina-shining, LTE-compliant third tablet installment.

The fruit company has today released a press statement, announcing that a further dozen countries will able to purchase the new iPad from retail outlets starting this week. From Friday, those residing in South Korea, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela can finally get their hands on the world’s number one tablet. Next week, on Friday, April 27, Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand will also be added to the line-up.

new iPad launch

With such a high demand, a simultaneous, worldwide release was not a possibility for the company based in Cupertino, California. This means that, as is the case with most products in general, the smaller countries must wait for the likes of America, UK, Australia, Germany, Canada and Japan to be served before seeing a release date.

The entire new iPad range is available to all markets, although whether or not consumers see any 4G connectivity on the cellular device largely depends on location. Apple’s suggested retail prices reflect those of the US Apple Stores, but, as most living outside North America could vouch, the price will likely be hiked versus the amount those residing Stateside are paying.

The release thus far hasn’t been without its useful dose of issues. While the early adopters have fallen in love with the.. ahem.. "Resolutionary" display, a little hysteria has arisen regarding the "Weak Wi-Fi" experienced by a few users. The problem is expected to be remedied by means of the usual software update from Apple, but having waited on a whim for the battery issues of the iPhone 4S to be sorted, customers are unsurprisingly agitated that the issue exists in the first place.

4gLTE

Notwithstanding the Wi-Fi snag, the crisp Retina LCD has been the centerpiece of a device set to remain at the summit of the tablet league. Gaming has been improved dramatically thanks to the quad-core GPU, and the LTE compliance means some – albeit few – can enjoy lightning-fast cellular connections.

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